Oneshot Collection
by ducky72
Summary: Collection of one-shots happening at various points during Abby's pregnancy. Gabby. Established Relationship. Sequel to "I Don't Regret A Thing"
1. Preface

**Rating:** K-T

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters you recognize from the show in these one-shots. The "tiny spot of the plot" which is not so tiny in the end, is mine, though ;-)

**Spoilers:** Only if you haven´t read any of my "No-Regret"-stories. As it might be a bit confusing by now, here´s the correct order to read them:

1. I Don´t Regret a Thing  
2. Safe Places Chapter 1+2  
3. When Abby Was on Strike  
4. Safe Places Chapter 3+4  
5. Deja Vu  
6. No-Regret Oneshot Collection

Thanks Kelly for enduring my teasing and for information about maternity leave -- among others... :P

**A/N****:** The scenes of this collection of one-shots are not necessarily posted in correct chronological order. I try to give an approximate time point in each scene, stating week or month of pregnancy if important for the plot. Reviews are much appreciated as are suggestions to expand this collection. I do have another 4-5 ideas in mind and barely started taking them down, but nevertheless decided to get this started. Please be patient while waiting for more.

Enjoy!


	2. Lack of Caffeine

**_-xxx-_**

**Lack of Caffeine**

**Part I **

Monday: The first day he has no clue what is going on until she robs him of his breath.

Tuesday: The second day he enjoys teasing her by taking all his time and pretending to not know she wants this to become a ritual. But in fact, it already has become one. He has agreed to this yesterday.

Wednesday: The third day he sits down at his desk in the morning as usual, smiling in anticipation of what is about to come.

Thursday: The forth day he leaves the elevator with that dreamy smile which by now has become a permanent part of him.

Friday: The fifth day his team is gathering in front of the elevator as soon as the doors close behind the two of them. Today, he decides to take the stairs back to the squad-room. On passing his nosy agents, who are still standing in front of the elevator and chattering incessantly, he slaps Tony over the back of his head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Tony winces.

"Don´t you dare make a bet again, DiNozzo." Gibbs tells him warningly in allusion to the bets Tony had lost the previous week.(1)

"Eh...," Tony stumbles.

"And don´t you dare accept it, Officer David!" Tony, Tim and Ziva exchange astonished looks, wondering how Gibbs has been able to tell that this time it was Ziva, making a bet with Tony.

"How could he know...?" Ziva wonders as they all follow their boss back to their desks.

"You three are far from knowing." Gibbs simply tells them and smirks. He knows, Tony´s mind is carrying him away. As does his own. Abby better has to be careful with what she is doing. It might end up much different one day...

... then Tony might possibly win this bet.

_**-xxx-**_

**Part II **

These are the events of "Monday"

Last Tuesday Abby has found out that she is pregnant with Gibbs's child (1). Ziva, Tony and McGee had only been less than five minutes late to see Gibbs's eyes well with tears as he brushed strands of Abby's hair aside and whispered in her ear: "Wow, I can't believe this is actually happening. She'll be wonderful." "She? Gibbs! That's not up to us to decide," Abby had giggled, before they both had burst into tears.

And by the end of the day everyone knew. And everyone enthusiastically agreed to help move Abby's stuff to Gibbs's place the next weekend.

On Wednesday Abby already has had an appointment at her doctor's, who has not only confirmed her pregnancy, but has also told her, "Abigail, no caffeine. Are we clear?"

The thought of giving up _all kinds_ of caffeinated beverage had not really crossed her mind when she and Gibbs had agreed to have a child some months ago(2). Thus, Abby had swallowed hard upon this ban, but now she immediately was sure she could deal with this. She has tried to get away from her beloved CafPow! before and she has a much better reason now than ever before.

And with all the arrangement to move in with Gibbs as soon as possible, Abby has completely forgotten about CafPow! for a few days.

So the first week 'CafPow!' was not even thought about. But as the second week wears on, the lack of caffeine in her system starts to take its toll on Abby and she gets more and more agitated.

Eight more months without caffeine? How would she be able to get through this, she suddenly wonders.

Gibbs has been able to distract her over the weekend, but on Monday, after Abby has started the first tests, she automatically grabs the big container on the table in front of her and only after downing three big gulps of the cold liquid, she realizes it is just some boring mineral water. Now she even more longs for some caffeinated stuff. Pacing her lab nervously, Abby ponders whether she could find a possibility to have her needs fulfilled.

Was caffeine actually absolutely forbidden during pregnancy, she wonders? Wasn't it utterly unfair that Gibbs was allowed to drink tons of coffee while she has to go without even the taste of ...?

With pinched lips and narrowed eyes Abby suddenly stands rooted to the spot. A grin settles on her face, growing wider within the second and she swirls around and runs out of her lab, her heart pounding wildly.

_**-x-**_

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby storms into the squad-room only five minutes later and makes her way over to Gibbs's desk. Gibbs jerks, worried at first, but when he sees her bounce towards him, he smiles, yet rising an eyebrow the instant he realizes the paper cup she is carrying with her.

"Abby," he scolds. "No caffeine includes coffee as well!"

Abby tilts her head, throwing him a questioning look. Then she seems to understand what Gibbs is talking about and like incidentally she tells him, "Oh, the coffee! It's not mine."

Gibbs crinkles his other eyebrow, curiously waiting for an explanation.

"Have I recently told you how much I love you?" Abby wants to know with an innocent smile.

"Yeeeeeaaaaaaah," Gibbs drawls, his eyes glazing over.

Abby exactly knows what he is thinking of at that very moment

"Gibbs!" Abby admonishes him, not even trying to hide a giggle and with that drawing the attention of the team -- if that has not already been the case. Then she reaches out her hand in which she is holding the large paper cup of coffee. "This is for you, my silver-haired fox."

Ziva, Tony and McGee all grin broadly and Gibbs blushes slightly, but he manages a stare which makes the other agents drop their heads to get back to their work instantly.

Gibbs takes the coffee, places it on his desk and beckons Abby closer. She leans down happily.

"Thanks, Abs," Gibbs whispers, smiling against her lips, but before he can bring his lips into contact with hers, Abby inches back slightly, shaking her head.

"Drink this first," she demands and bites her bottom lip, saying a silent prayer that Gibbs is not seeing through her plan.

Gibbs squints at her, wondering what all this is about. He can see a growing nervousness taking hold of her.

"Abs, you okay?" he wants to know worriedly.

"Gibbs, as you know, I _must not_ drink caffeinated stuff, so you have to compensate for that," Abby explains, trying to sound as innocent as possible, but the excitement which is lying in her voice indicates that she definitely is up to something.

Gibbs smirks. _Poor Abs_, he thinks. _How is she going to survive that?_ Shaking his head he takes a sip.

And with each sip he takes, Abby´s agitation increases.

"Drink, drink, drink," she urges, barely allowing him to take a breath in-between gulping the hot black liquid.

Watching her bounce up and down and fidgeting from one foot to another makes Gibbs down the coffee in practically no time, more out of worry than from her urging. Waving about the empty container in front of her eyes, he eventually wants to know, "Satisfied now, Abs?"

Abby instantly snatches the paper cup out of his hands, discards it into the waste bin beside Gibbs's desk, grasps his hand, pulls him out of his office chair and drags him with her. Being completely taken by surprise, he follows her towards the elevator without saying a word. Abby presses the button to call the elevator, bouncing up and down vigorously and nervously wringing her hands together as they are waiting for it to arrive.

"Abby!" Gibbs grabs her shoulders, trying to still her nervous movements. "Abs, calm down! Who just drunk the coffee, me or you?"

The doors of the elevator slid open. It's empty -- thank god -- and Abby pushes Gibbs inside, pressing any button on the panel, willing the doors to slide shut faster, cursing the doors for not sliding shut fast enough and barely waiting for the lift to start moving before pulling the emergency stop switch.

Gibbs still hasn't got the slightest clue what this is all about and Abby does not allow him any time to ask now. She shows him without wasting another second.

Gibbs suddenly feels himself pushed against the wall of the elevator the very next moment, Abby's lips crashing onto his almost at the same time. Taking advantage of his out of astonishment half open mouth, she shoves her tongue into his mouth forcefully, demanding a wild entanglement of their tongues.

And Abby does not allow him to take over and lead this game. Among others, the 'kiss' starts to rob him of oxygen. Not in an unpleasant meaning of the word, Gibbs has to admit.

Almost five minutes later, Abby eventually breaks the kiss. Her hands on his shoulders, she keeps him pinned to the wall, pressing herself up against him. Unable to move, Gibbs runs his gaze up and down her body as far as he can manage in this trapped position, while they both try to bring their breathing back to normal.

Now it is Abby's turn to have a worried look settle on her face.

"You okay, Gibbs?" she slowly manages to ask, still being a bit breathless.

"Wow, Abs. What...?" Still struggling for breath, Gibbs lets his question trail off.

"You heard the doc say that I am not allowed caffeinated stuff for the time being, so I am looking for some sort of ... replacement," Abby tries to explain.

"Yeah?" Gibbs asks with disbelief.

Abby tilts her head. Grinning mischievously, she nods. "No one told me, the ban includes just the taste of caffeine as well."

"It works?" Gibbs does not really sound convinced.

Abby clicks her tongue, the taste of coffee still lingering in her mouth. "Seems to," she says, nodding with satisfaction.

"For how long?" Gibbs wants to know, licking his lips and eyeing her curiously, one corner of his mouth twitching upwards, his hands placed on either side of her waist, steadying her as she steps back.

"Don't know," Abby shrugs. "Not long enough, I fear. Unfortunately, we cannot stay in here for the whole day. But ... just for the fun of it, let's do it lots!."

"_How_ lots is 'lots'??"

"Tomorrow? Same time, same place?" Abby suggests.

Gibbs chuckles, gleaming with delight. "I won't complain."

Abby leans in again, kissing him on his cheek before making the elevator move again.

_**-xxx-**_

* * *

(1) "Deja-Vu"

(2) "I Don´t Regret a Thing"


	3. Names

_A/N:__ This story is still unbetaed. Unfortunately my beta has been out of reach for a couple of weeks already and I can only hope she is fine. _

_Disclaimer:__ origins and meanings of names are borrowed from various sites._

_For Kelly._

_**-xxx-**_

**Names**

One extremely warm late summer´s night found Abby and Gibbs sleepless.

Abby had woken from a nightmare and Gibbs had managed to calm her down again by tenderly stroking her hair and gently massaging her neck and shoulders. But Abby still was too agitated to talk about what was bothering her. Gibbs didn´t mind, he knew she would tell him later that day.

Afterwards Abby couldn´t find an agreeable position to lie in anymore, her seven months´ pregnant belly being in the way all the time and moreover making it impossible for her to simply lie on her stomach and stretching out her arms and legs, which she usually would do at a night like this during an unbearable heat.

After another 20 minutes of moaning and groaning, of tossing and turning, Abby suddenly sat upright in bed.

"Gibbs?" she asked into the half darkness.

Gibbs chuckled. Abby had started to call him Jethro only a few weeks ago (but that´s another one-shot story) and Abby calling him _'Gibbs'_ now, was a sign that Abby´s mind was on something more important. He nevertheless wondered if she ever completely stopped calling him by his last name.

"Do you want me to get you some water, Abs?" Gibbs asked while bringing his hand to her back and gently rubbing that spot in the small of her back, which he knew sometimes was hurting.

Abby shook her head and stretched a little, giving him better access for a few seconds, before she suddenly turned to let her legs slide over the edge of the bed and get up. She went down to the kitchen and Gibbs followed when he had realized that she wouldn´t come back too soon.

_**-x-**_

Down in the kitchen Abby is already pouring some coffee and peppermint tea when Gibbs enters the room one minute later and a book is lying on the kitchen table.

Gibbs sighs, suddenly knowing what her dream has been about and he walks over to her. He lets his left hand rest upon her baby tummy and with his right he strokes some wisps of hair behind her ear, his thumb softly grazing her temple before he leans in to place a tender kiss there.

"This making you nervous, huh?" he softly whispers in her ear.

"Jethro," Abby leans into his affectionate gesture and nods slightly before confirming what he already has assumed from seeing the book. "What if our little girl is born and we still haven´t got a name for her?"

Gibbs cannot help but chuckle lowly, at the same time hoping this doesn´t hurt Abby´s feelings. He again kisses her temple, gently pulling her a little closer and he lets his lips rest upon her skin for a little while before giving an answer.

"That won´t happen, little snow queen," he tries to reassure her.

A few minutes later, at about 3 o´clock in the morning, Gibbs is sitting at the kitchen table, his elbows resting on the table, sipping his coffee and listening to Abby, who is incessantly pacing the kitchen, patiently reading out the names that are listed in the book she has brought with her to the kitchen.

They start with the letter "A" -- of course -- and the first name on the list happens to be _"Abigail"_. The list also provides the names´ meanings and origins and Abby reads them out as well.

"_Abigail: __is of Hebrew origin, meaning Source of Joy, Father of Joy, A Father's Joy. Name of King David's third wife…"_

They sure won´t call their child _Abigail_, one Abby was sufficient, they both agree.

"_Ada: Possibly a Latinate variant of the biblical Hebrew name Adah, or a pet form of Adele and Adelaide__…"_

"_Adelaide: of Old German origin, meaning "noble, kind". Queen Adelaide was a German princess who accepted the young prince William IV after he'd been turned down by seven other highborn ladies..."_

This goes on for a whole while. They proceed from name to name, from letter to letter and so on, every now and then simply reading the name and leaving any further explanations of the names aside.

"_Kat__herine: of Greek origin, meaning "pure". In use since at least the third century AD. The early Latin forms Katerina and Caterina became Katharine and Catherine. Preference in modern times is for the K- spelling, which is closest to the original Greek versions."_

"_Kel... ."_ Abby instantly falls silent, stopping dead in her tracks and biting her bottom lip. She guiltily turns and looks up from the pages, glancing at Gibbs, who has also looked up and the grief-stricken expression on his face makes Abby´s heart wrench.

"Sorry," she whispers, wishing she had been more quick-witted to just leave this name aside.

Gibbs inhales deeply, heaves a sigh and smiles; the smile washing away the grief from his face.

"It´s okay. Come here, Abs." Gibbs beckons her over and Abby slowly steps forwards until she comes to stand right in front of him.

He had known that they would come across the name "_Kelly"_ sooner or later, yet he had not in the least expected himself to show such a reaction now that this has finally happened. He knows that Abby usually doesn´t mind his getting sad at times. And even more than this. She keeps telling him it is okay and that he should not hide it. It of course still hurts. Always would.

But this sleepless night is about the name of the little baby girl Abby and he are having and he cannot help but realize that this prospect of becoming a father again sure helps heal his soul furthermore.

"Sit down, hm?" Patting his thighs Gibbs signals Abby to sit down on his lap.

Although he is already smiling again, Abby is still feeling a bit uneasy. She puts the book down on the table, then sits sideways on Gibbs´s lap and snuggles against him as tight as possible.

"Hey, don´t be sad." Gibbs cups her cheek and he places a kiss on the top of her head. His fingertips lightly brush over her slightly flushed cheek, then caress her chin, gently lifting it up in the process.

"Give me a smile, please," he begs and it is not difficult for Abby to obey. The way this rarely used word leaves his lips always makes her smile.

"Yeah, this is much better," Gibbs smiles contentedly.

"We probably should continue this some other time," Abby suggests, intending to get up.

"No," Gibbs insists, stopping her in her efforts and leaning forward to kiss her lips. "You know, Kelly would have enjoyed having a sister and she probably would have suggested a rather simple way to choose a name."

And upon Abby´s questioning look he continues, "Okay, let´s see..."

While wrapping one arm around her, he pulls the book closer with the other and opens it again, this time on a page where the girls´ names are listed without any further explanations of origin or meaning. Then he takes Abby´s hand in his, closing his over hers and putting it down on the top of the page, using her index-finger as a pointer.

"Close your eyes," he tells her.

Abby hesitates for a moment but eventually nods and closes her eyes. Gibbs starts to run her finger down the columns of names.

"Tell me when to stop," he requests.

Abby gasps. And shakes her head. Her eyes stay closed, though. She even squeezes them shut a little tighter. Gibbs smirks and nudges her earlobe with his nose.

"Scaredy-cat," he teases her.

The breeze in her ear makes Abby giggle.

"No, Giiiiiiiibbs, I cannot do this," she teases him back, this time deliberately using his last name, pronouncing and drawling it likewise.

"Hey," he warns her playfully, "keep calling me that and we keep doing this for the next few hours."

Gibbs continues to guide Abby´s forefinger across the pages, his eyes taking in the names one after another. As he turns the pages, Abby pinches her lips, unsure about what he is up to and wondering if he might have been honest about his threat. With her eyes still closed she tells him, "I will _**not**_ tell you when to, Jethro."

"Mm-hm," Gibbs simply replies, lost in thoughts and he continues his current activity.

"Jethro?"

"Shhh..."

Abby opens one eye a crack.

"Hey, keep your eyes closed, my love," Gibbs softly whispers and Abby does as ordered, wondering how he knew, because he is fully concentrated on the list of names.

A few moments later Abby´s finger comes to a halt, accompanied by an absorbed "Hmmm..." from Gibbs.

"May I...?" Abby wants to know.

"Nope, not yet," Gibbs tells her, lifting her hand, but not letting go of it.

The rustling of pages being turned reaches Abby´s ear. Again... . And again... . And again. Then her finger is being put back onto the pages.

"Okay, let´s see." Again Gibbs runs Abby´s finger across the columns, this time a little faster than before and then it suddenly stops.

Nothing happens for a few moments and Abby´s hands get clammy while she listens to Gibbs´s voice.

"_Of Anglo-Saxon origin. __Variant of (Irish, Gaelic) Flann, meaning "ruddy-complected". Sometimes used as a diminutive of Linda (Spanish), meaning "pretty". _

"Now what do you think?" Gibbs wants to know after a short period of silence.

Abby hesitates.

"M...may I...?" she eventually asks again, her voice trembling.

Gibbs laughs lowly and kisses her cheek.

"Of course you may, little snow-queen."

Abby blinks and while her eyes adjust to the light again, she realizes that it is still the simple list of names which is turned open right in front of her. Gibbs must have looked up the meanings when she had heard the endless rustling of paper a few minutes ago.

Abby reads the name her finger is pointing at, then she looks at Gibbs and smiles, her eyes shimmering a little.

"I love it," she whispers.

Gibbs, who still holds Abby´s hand in his, lets his forehead lean against hers, then places Abby´s hand upon her baby tummy, lets his hand rest upon hers, and smiling down at her belly he whispers:

"Hi, Lynn."


	4. An Assistant for Abby

_A/N: __Sorry I am that extremely slow with updating, but I am already working on a few ideas. And many thanks to my beta Molly :)  
_

_Meet__ in here a character from season four. No spoilers -- I think -- just my wishful thinking ;)_

**_-xxx-_**

**An Assistant for Abby**

Up in the squad-room Gibbs´s phone started ringing.

"Gibbs?" Gibbs answered it. "Who? ... . Miss Sciuto? Yes, she's is up here. ... . Yes, that's right. ... . Someone will be there in a minute..."

Gibbs hung up the phone.

"Someone looking for me?" Abby wanted to know.

Gibbs looked up at Abby who was sitting on his desk right in front of him. It was a quarter past eight on a Monday morning and Abby had only just collected her early morning ration of caffeine-taste from Gibbs after bringing him an extra large cup of coffee and dragging him to the elevator as soon as he had finished it.

Well, 'dragging' was no longer the right word as Gibbs all too willingly and eagerly followed her there. Abby had started that ritual many weeks ago, because she was not allowed any caffeine during her pregnancy. And today Gibbs had asked her to accompany him back to the squad-room. He had intended to tell her about that visitor who now was waiting down in the entrance hall, but he still had not managed to do so.

"A ... visitor. Down at the entrance," Gibbs stammered, feeling a little uneasy.

"Who is it?" Abby asked.

The look on Gibbs's face told her she would not initially like what was about to come. Gibbs's gaze wandered past her and he made eye contact with McGee, who nodded and left to pick that mysterious visitor up. In fact McGee was significantly responsible for _who_ was waiting down at the entrance. Gibbs, however, was undeniably nervous.

"Abby," Gibbs started, inhaling deeply as he prepared himself for this upcoming task.

"Abs," he started anew, struggling to find the right words.

"Gibbs, why don't you just tell me what's going on? I won't kill you."

Gibbs stared at her blankly.

"The baby would hold it against me if I did, so just tell me what this is about." Despite the uneasy feeling Abby managed to smile at him.

"Yeah," Gibbs sighed and decided to simply be straight. He had no choice, Abby would find out anyway in a minute or two.

He had feared this moment for weeks and now it finally had come. Jenny had repeatedly reminded him that Abby needed an assistant who also needed to replace her for some time when she would go on maternity leave. But it hadn't been before Jenny had walked into the squad-room last week -- planting herself right in front of Gibbs's desk and setting an ultimatum --, that McGee, who had followed their conversation, had suggested someone Gibbs also seemed to remember. He then had thrown McGee a piercing look and all that was needed was McGee swallowing hard to confirm Gibbs's suspicion.

But as Gibbs himself had changed the rules, there had been no way he could have refused and said 'No'.

"It's time for you to have an assistant, Abs." It finally was said.

Abby's mouth fell open. "Gibbs, you are kidding. I can still work for another..."

"Abs, I don't question ...," Gibbs interrupted her, but in return was interrupted by her as well.

"But Gi-ibbs...," Abby moved to stand up, but was prevented by Gibbs from doing so.

"Abby!" Gibbs finally glared at her and instantly hated himself for his reacting like this. He hadn't intended to upset her and therefore had avoided to tell her about the assistant earlier. But it was an inevitable necessity and he hoped Abby wasn't making it too hard for all of them.

Gibbs took a deep breath.

"Abs," his voice sounded much softer now. "You may work as long as you wish to -- or are able to -- and there of course is a lot of time, but you do need an assistant. Some things are already too dangerous for you to do, Abs. And the sooner we start to find someone ... . This one is only on a trial basis. Abs. Please."

Abby pouted slightly, but gave him a silent nod of understanding. She knew Gibbs was right. She was four months pregnant now and indeed, she herself had started to realize that she was not able to master all the workload on her own.

"It has not been decided yet?" Abby asked cautiously.

"No," Gibbs promised.

"Umm... but please, not some Chip again." With a shudder Abby remembered what her last encounter with an assistant had turned out like.

"No, not some Chip again. I promise," Gibbs laughed in reconciliation.

"Ummm..., did you already talk to that ... 'assistant'?" Being reassured a little, Abby wanted to know more about her future co-worker.

"Yes, I did," Gibbs nodded.

"And?"

"And what?"

"What is he like?"

"Who?" Gibbs enjoyed teasing her a little.

"The assistant, Gibbs!" Abby, however, wasn't enjoying this at all.

"Eh ... . _He_?"

"Oh Giiiiibbs!!" Abby warningly exclaimed, giving Gibbs a pat on the back of his hand.

"Ahhhh," Gibbs drawled and considered his next words thoroughly. "Well, I was a bit sceptical at first, but she is a smart girl. Gave a convincing demonstration."

Abby thought she had misheard. Shocked a little, she asked for confirmation. "_She_? ... Convinced _you_?"

Convincing Gibbs was a very difficult task. But aside from that, learning that the assistant was a she, brought up a feeling of jealousy. Abby couldn't help that sudden emotion and she tried to get off the table in a hurry. She knew she was doing Gibbs wrong, but for a brief moment she just hadn't been able to stop herself from feeling that way.

Gibbs sighed. Putting his hands on both her knees he made her stay seated. Then he waited until she eventually looked at him.

"Abs. Love." Smiling at her warmly he took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her palm.

"Sorry, Gibbs," Abby said quietly when she had calmed down again.

"Abs, McGee thought...," Gibbs started to explain.

Abby was confused. "McGee? What does McGee have to do with this?"

"Well, it actually was his idea. He thought, you might probably feel comfortable with her."

Gibbs was watching the expression on Abby's face, who was trying to figure out who that person could be. Had she missed her name in that conversation? No, definitely not, Gibbs had not mentioned it. And if McGee knew her as well... . She could not think of anyone, yet she apparently had to know that woman, because everyone knew she would not immediately feel comfortable with a complete stranger.

Abby was too deep in thoughts and missed the _ding_ of the arriving elevator. She didn't notice who was leaving it at McGee's side until the visitor and him both came to stand in front of Gibbs's desk.

"Boss," McGee announced their arrival.

"Good morning Agent Gibbs," the young woman at his side greeted.

Gibbs smiled to greet the young woman, then his "Good morning," was swallowed by Abby's astonished, "Ruby!?"

"Hi Abby," Ruby shyly waved her hand and for a couple of seconds pinched her lips before she stammered, "I ... Tim told me you needed an assistant ... ummm ... because you ... are ... , well, you and your boss ... your ... ehm... he ... the ...," Ruby waved about her arms helplessly for neither wanting to call Gibbs Abby's lover nor her boyfriend and she eventually choose, "Agent Gibbs," then swallowed a little embarrassed and continued, "he agreed to..."

"Since you and Miss Rae have already kind of worked together a few years back, I didn´t have any objection to McGee's suggestion," Gibbs impatiently finished Ruby's stammered explanation.

Abby's scrutinizing look wandered from Ruby to McGee and she narrowed her eyes and slowly tilted her head as she realized that back then, Ruby obviously had not only impressed Gibbs. McGee obviously had been impressed by her as well, yet in a completely different way. And Ruby had called him 'Tim'.

"'Tim', huh?" Abby threw McGee a questioning look.

Ruby blushed and McGee looked embarrassed as well. He earned a look from Abby that said, "How could you not have told me," but inwardly Abby was thinking _How could I only have missed this?_ referring to both, not knowing that Gibbs had been looking for an assistant and that McGee and Ruby had stayed in contact over the years and obviously were more than just friends.

Abby decided to pay Gibbs and McGee back that they had managed to keep things a secret from her. She got off Gibbs's desk, rounded it and went over to Ruby.

"Okay, Ruby," she said, "let's get work started." And with that she took Ruby with her down to her lab, ignoring both men, not even dropping a 'Bye'.

_**-xxx-**_

_A/N: I think they should bring Ruby´s character back in again, shouldn´t they? _

_A/N: So Abby has an assistant now. In the next chapter Abby and Gibbs will have to talk about "Names" again._


	5. Cravings

_Sorry, this has taken me so long!_

_Note: Abby by now calls Gibbs "Jethro". I know, I still owe you this__ very chapter, but please don't be mad at me. It just isn't coming out the way I want it to... So let's just skip it for now ;-) and turn to some queer thing that's said to occur whilst being pregnant..._

_Thanks Amanda for your great job as beta  
_

_References to episode 3x16 (Gibbs and Jenny having steak au poivre in Jenny´s office)__ and episode 4x17 (Abby´s distaste for nougat)_

_

* * *

  
_

**Cravings**

It's the night before Abby goes on maternity leave.

That evening, the team gathers for dinner at Gibbs's and Abby's favorite restaurant.

_**-xxx-**_

_One week earlier:_

"You know, Jethro, we should invite everyone for dinner on my last working day," Abby had announced during breakfast one morning, sitting upright, eyes wide open and a huge smile on her face.

Gibbs's first reaction when Abby had suggested a dinner with everyone had been to stop chewing and incredulously glance at her across the breakfast table.

The smile on Abby's face had instantly faded away and was replaced by a sweet little pouting.

"Abs," Gibbs had sighed. The prospect of being surrounded by all their chattering colleagues until midnight was not what he imagined to be a perfect evening -- let alone _the_ perfect evening of her last working day...

The smile stole itself back onto her face and with sparkling eyes she told him, "Okay, _'Giiibbs',_" pronouncing his last name provocatively.

Her playful 'offense' had made him chuckle. If his daring to turn down her wish for this little party meant that she would call him _'Gibbs'_ again for god knows how long, then he would rather do her the favor and spend a few hours in the middle of their pack.

_**-xxx-**_

So here they were, sitting around one big table, chitchatting and waiting for their meal to be served.

Arousing everyone's curiosity, Abby orders an "Abby's special", which turns out to be a chef salad and along with that a nougat cream cake with nougat sauce.

Abby has ordered it quite a few times over the past months and although Gibbs has known it would most likely be her favorite tonight, he shudders when thinking of the consequences Abby's order is going to have. Well, since she keeps telling him it tastes marvellous... .

"I thought you hate nougat, Abby," Tony draws a face when seeing the nougat-sauce covered nougat cake. And to top it all off, a slice of lemon was decorating the plate.

"I do," Abby confirms, before second-guessing and subsequently correcting herself, "Did." She's grinning wickedly.

"Ah Tony, haven't you noticed the nougat bars in the vending machine have constantly been empty for more than three months now?" Ziva laughs.

"Don't take things too far, Abigail, my dear," Ducky chips in.

"I can't help it, Ducky. Lynn seems to love it," Abby offers as apology for her desire and to emphasize it, she strokes her showing baby tummy.

"And she probably is going to hate it for all her life," Ducky speculates.

When Abby looks at him questioningly, he explains, "One of my dear neighbors hates licorice, for example. When she comes over for tea, I have to make sure there's no licorice in it. Her mother was very fond of that stuff when she had been pregnant with her."

Gibbs smiles whimsically and it wouldn't take him by surprise if Ducky was proven correct one day. Having lived through a couple of odd cravings once already when Shannon had been pregnant with Kelly, Gibbs yet fails to understand these strange yearnings.

Yearnings which he knows in Abby case are going to get weirder.

Abby enjoys her salad. Every now and then she nibbles a bit of her cake and Tony doesn't leave out a single opportunity to display a disgusted look, making everyone laugh.

Balancing a small piece of her cake on her fork, Abby suddenly eyes it from all sides for a few moments, her look then wandering over to Gibbs's plate.

Gibbs stops chewing and suspiciously glances at her out of the corner of his eye.

"How's your steak?" Abby asks innocently.

Knowing the time has finally come, Gibbs squints and turns his head to look her deep in the eye. Several seconds later he dramatically swallows the piece of meat he has been chewing upon.

"Good," he eventually tells her, slowly nodding his head in confirmation a few times.

A smirk settles on his face and he turns his attention back to his plate, cutting three pieces from the meat; but eating none of them. Instead he picks up some vegetable, pops them into his mouth and leans back.

Abby then reaches out to pick up some vegetable and a piece of the cut meat from Gibbs's plate. She, however, doesn't eat it until having dipped it in the nougat cream sauce of her cake.

"Yum yum." There´s no doubt Abby enjoys her new creation. And to prove she is serious about it, she repeats her ceremony twice.

Tony draws a face that speaks volumes, evoking an inevitable desire in Gibbs to immediately head-slap his senior field agent. But he also knows it is just another one of Tony's overacting moments. They have all noticed some odd habits Abby has developed these past months, so no one is really shocked by her 'steak au chocolat'.

No one, however, seems to notice the look that has settled on Jenny's face when Abby reached out to pick food from Gibbs's plate. What she had seen has set her thinking.

Even when Jenny's relationship with Gibbs had been dominated by days of heated love-making, he had never allowed her to pick any food off his plate. Not even if there had been veggies that she knew he didn't like and would give them to her anyway. He had told her he really didn't like it if someone came close to his meal as long as it was on his plate and that he'd never allow anyone to pick at his food .

Jenny had often wondered why.

Now she finally starts to understand.

Gibbs has to really love Abby with all his heart...

* * *

_A/N: Kelly thought, Gibbs would behave that way with Abby and I totally agree with her ...__ What about you?_


	6. Jethro

_A/N: Here is a new chapter. __Finally. Sorry, writing has been so slow-going. Work is pretty busy since I transferred to another department and now am involved with flu-matters._

_Beta: doomprincess

* * *

_

**Jethro**

"Okay, as you can see on this screen, we tracked down every single fingerprint, hair and skin particle in this car -- whether it was full, partial or at first glance didn't even look like the tiniest part of a fingerprint, hair or skin particle -- and compared it to your suspect's fingerprints..."

"... hair and ... _skin particles?_" Gibbs warningly cut in as Ruby paused to draw breath. After two weeks only, he couldn't help the feeling that Ruby's working together with Abby was already showing its effects. He wasn't sure if working with yet another babbling forensic scientist would make him feel comfortable, but on the other hand, knowing they had found a proper temporary replacement for Abby, set his mind at ease.

On the big plasma screen in the forensic's lab a couple dozen tiny windows were popping up, each one showing the results of different fingerprint alignments. They all had a red bar flashing in synchrony across them, saying _'No match'_.

Shaking his head, Gibbs disbelievingly stared at the screen as he listened to Ruby's further explanations. He couldn't believe the lieutenant upstairs in interrogation should be innocent. He couldn't believe Abby had ordered him down to the lab to tell him they still had _nothing_. Should his gut really have betrayed him on this one?

"Actually, we don't have the results of his hair and..." Ruby's voice trailed off as Gibbs turned his head to throw her another warning look.

"Great." Gibbs sighed. This certainly wasn't going to improve his mood. The guy who was sitting in interrogation had already taxed his patience by ignoring all of his questions and accusations and even some outburst of fury.

"Good work, you two," Gibbs resignedly sighed again. Nodding his appreciation to Ruby he turned to Abby, who was standing at the counter in the middle of the lab. She was smiling warmly at him, which made him smile as well.

He stepped up to her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Good work, Abs."

Grinning from ear to ear, Abby watched after him as Gibbs left the lab. He almost ran into Tony and Ziva as the two of them were leaving the elevator.

"Hey boss, any news?" Tony immediately backed off as he looked at Gibbs's growling face. Abby's voice probably saved him from worse.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby excitedly called.

Throwing one last warning look at Tony, Gibbs turned and peeked back into the lab.

"There's more," she announced with a big smile. Then she patiently waited for Gibbs, Tony and Ziva to enter the lab again.

"You didn't really start to mistrust your gut, huh?" Abby asked. On pressing a key on her keyboard, one single ultra large fingerprint alignment appeared on the plasma screen, showing a match. Abby motioned to Ruby to continue.

"Okay, Agent..." Ruby's courage fell as she felt the team's expectant looks on her. She suddenly felt a little awkward and got very nervous. Blushing, she shyly explained, "as you can see here, we do have a match nevertheless. That guy may not be the killer you are looking for in your current case. But his fingerprints turned up in a cold case file of a murder with robbery from seven years ago."

Gibbs smirked contentedly. "Good work, Ruby," he told her, nodding his appreciation and Ruby finally dared to breathe again.

"And you, Abs," Gibbs turned to Abby, "no skipping lunch break today, okay? And remember, your working day ends at 1600. _Local_ time!" He wasn't always able to, but he tried to take care that Abby didn't work too many long hours when she actually wasn't allowed any.

"Aye, aye sir," Abby saluted, grinning broadly.

Aside from an impish smirk, Gibbs refrained from any further comment about Abby's teasing.

The two forensics watched as the team walked towards the elevator and when the doors of the cubicle had slid shut, Ruby couldn't help but voice what had been going through her mind for quite a while.

"You still call him _'Gibbs'_?" she asked.

"Huh?" Abby still had that dreamy look and that sweet smile on her face, and she hadn't really listened to what Ruby had said. She had only heard Gibbs's name.

"You still call him 'Gibbs'," Ruby repeated. This time, however, it was a general statement rather than a question.

"Sure." Abby hesitated. "Why not? What should I call him instead? It is his name."

Ruby sighed. "He is ... You two are living together. You are having a baby with him, Abby. Shouldn't you call him by his first name?"

Abby briefly pondered this thought. Then she shook her head no. No, that was weird. She had always called him 'Gibbs'. Anything else would sound strange.

_**-xxx-**_

But it wasn't only Ruby who was wondering about this. At the same time a similar conversation took place in the elevator. When the doors had slid shut, there was an awkward silence settling in. Ziva and Tony started to fiercely gesticulate behind Gibbs's back.

And Gibbs sure as hell felt the draft. He reached out for the emergency switch and brought the elevator to a halt.

"What?" he eventually growled.

"Eh..." Tony stammered.

"Spill it, DiNozzo!"

"Ah ... Abby ... eh ... Abby still ... calls you _'Gibbs'_?" Tony eventually voiced what everyone else had been wondering about for a while.

"Yeah. And?"

"I... I just was thinking that it is pretty weird to ... ummm ... ." Seeing Gibbs watching him with narrowed eyes, Tony chose to not finish this argument and Gibbs released the emergency stop.

_**-xxx-**_

Right after lunch, Abby brought Gibbs a fresh hot coffee, intending to watch him drink and get a delicious caffeinated kiss in the elevator afterwards.

"Oh." She had approached his desk with a big smile on her face, but then this smile gave way to some plain astonishment. A brimming container of coffee was already sitting on his desk.

Gibbs looked up from his paperwork. It was one of the rare moments that he had put on his glasses -- although everyone around could and would notice -- and Abby knew it was a sign, indicating that something was bothering him. And anyone who would dare to make a comment about the reading glasses (concentration glasses, as Abby called them) would be acknowledged with his evil eye. Abby, however, thought that he looked extremely sexy. But the redundant coffee -- that wasn't steaming anymore -- was too irritating.

"Abs, what's wrong?" Gibbs sounded tense.

"You already have one." Holding up the coffee she had brought with one hand, she pointed to the one sitting on the desk with her other. "Or should I say, 'you _still_ have one'?" she added with confusion.

"Oh," he tried to sound astonished. "I forgot that one."

"_Forgot_?" She couldn't believe it. Gibbs _never_ forgot his coffee.

Taking off his glasses, Gibbs heaved a sigh. The way he then looked at Abby made her heart sink. Something was wrong. She had the worst feeling ever. When he got up from his seat and rounded his desk, Abby's heart rate took up. And when he took the coffee out of her hands to place it on the desk -- pinching his lips as he did so -- Abby felt like crying.

"Gibbs...," she breathed, her voice full of fear.

Gibbs gently took her hand in his.

"We need to talk," he told her in a quiet, dead serious voice. Without further explanation he lead her to the elevator.

They enter and when the lift started to move, Gibbs pulled the emergency stop. He was still holding Abby's hand, although he knew that she felt like drawing it back out of his. She was afraid and he felt awful for what he was about to do. When he turned to fully face her, he brought up his free hand, cupping her cheek gently, attempting to reassure her.

"Gibbs..." Abby's voice broke as she once again breathed his name.

Bracing himself for the upcoming unpleasant subject matter, Gibbs inhaled deeply.

"They are right, Abs," he said in a low voice.

"Who? What with?" The words almost got stuck in Abby's throat.

"Tony was the only one to voice it, but I'm sure they all are..." Gibbs let his voice trail off with a sigh and while he kept looking at her face, which was filled with fear, his hand gently travelled from her cheek to her waist. His fingers caressed her slightly showing belly.

But right now, the feeling of happiness didn't reach his lips. How could he tell her without hurting her?

He probably couldn't.

"You should stop calling me _'Gibbs'_."

Ouch! In his mind Gibbs gave himself the hardest headslap he had ever dished out. This had probably been the stupidest way to tell her.

Eyes wide, Abby stared at him for a few seconds. Her lips were quivering at first, then she swallowed hard and with pinched lips she slid her hand out of his, reached for the emergency stop switch and got the elevator moving again.

As soon as the doors slid open, she left the the elevator without any further good-bye.

Gibbs decided to not follow her. He felt extremely awful. Had it been only about him, he never would have minded her calling him 'Gibbs' for the rest of his life.

He did't return to the squadroom immediately, but stopped by the washroom and decided to pay a visit to the morgue. Did Ducky, too, think Abby should call him by his first name?

Not knowing whether to really ask, Gibbs kept pacing the room, every now and then stopping near Ducky, who was performing an autopsy. After quite some minutes, when Gibbs wouldn't say anything, Ducky finally got annoyed.

"Jethro, if you don't tell me what's bothering you, then I'm afraid I won't be able to help you."

Sighing heavily, Gibbs wordlessly left autopsy and returned to the squadroom.

"Doesn't Abby feel well?" McGee wanted to know when Gibbs sat down at his desk.

Gibbs threw him a questioning look.

"Ruby called," McGee explained. "Abby went home a couple of minutes ago. Said she didn't feel well. I thought you ... knew?"

No, he didn't know. And it made him worry. He grabbed his keys and on hurrying off, he declared, "You are in charge, DiNozzo."

_**-xxx-**_

A couple of minutes later, Gibbs reached his place. Rushing inside his house, he called out Abby's name.

"Abs!"

Her backpack, her shoes and her hairbands were scattered across the floor in the entrance hall. He didn't get an answer, but he could hear some noise coming from the kitchen.

"Abs?" he said gently, as he peered into the kitchen.

Abby was standing at the kitchen counter, cutting up some fruit. She didn't turn around, but a low sob reached his ear.

"Abby." Gibbs slowly approached her.

She had loosened her pigtails and her hair was in a complete mess. He gently stroked her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Her cheeks were flushed and wet with tears. Gibbs hated himself for having done this to her.

"Abs, please," he said in a soft, imploring voice. "Look at me, Abs."

Abby laid down the knife, but she shook her head and kept staring down at the kitchen counter.

"Abs," Gibbs said once more, gently guiding her to turn around and look at him. "I'm sorry, Abby. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I didn't want to make you upset."

"It's not only you, Gibb... ." Abby paused. After sighing heavily, she told him, "This morning, Ruby also wondered why I'm still calling you ... _that_."

"So, you do understand?" Gibbs cautiously asked.

"No." Abby remained stubborn. "I always called you _'Gibbs'_. Why should I suddenly not do anymore?"

Abby started to sob again. She wanted to push him away and leave, but Gibbs held her back. Then he effortlessly lifted her up and made her sit on the counter. He wiped away the freshly welling tears with his thumb.

"If this was just about you and me, Abs, I'd never mind you calling me _'that'_ for the rest of my life," he honestly told her.

"But this _is_ just about you and me. Why do all the others suddenly care?" Abby moved to get off the counter.

"Nnnmmm." Gibbs shook his head and held her back in place. "Abby," he said resolutely and took a deep breath. "This is _not_ just about you and me."

Eyes downcast, Abby continued pouting. She really didn't understand.

"This is about you. And me. And...," Gibbs let his hand lightly travel over her stomach. A smile crept over his face. Abby could be so stubborn and he caught himself thinking that she looked extremely cute when she was pouting.

"Abby, what did your mom use to call your dad?" he wanted to know.

"Huh?" Abby looked up at him, a big question mark decorating her face.

"Your mom. What did she call your dad? Did she call him 'Scuito'?" Gibbs asked, signing her family name.

"No. Why should she call my dad by his last...?" Her voice trails off, as the coin eventually drops.

Tilting his head, he smiled at her.

"Oh, Gibbs! I..." Abby fell silent as Gibbs cleared his throat in protest. She hadn't realized that she had called him Gibbs again.

"Ohhh, this is going to be so very hard," Abby squirmed.

"Try." Nodding encouragingly he patiently waited for her to speak his name.

Her lips tried to form his name, but she stayed silent; the look on her face getting more and more desperate.

"Try for me, little snowqueen," he whispered tenderly.

Chuckling about the pet-name he had given her some time ago already, Abby finally dared to whisper, "Jeth-ro."

And he loved the way she made it sound...

* * *

A/N: _It's not exactly what I initially wanted it to be. Must have been in some sort of depressive mood, but I decided to finalize it nevertheless. I'm thinking about writing a second (a brighter) version about this subject._

_Also, I started the new sequel. "Melissa". Looking forward to seeing you over there as well :__-)_


End file.
